I have a 2006 scion xa. Need to get rid of it. KBB gives a range of 1200-1800. Carmax turns around and can sell the car for 5-8k.

Carmax gave an appraisal of 1200. I want to pull the trigger but I know I'm leaving a like 2k on the table. I hate to justify me losing out on the money by laziness. Other reasons include convenience, sheer ignorance about the mechanics of selling a car with all its paperwork, and fear of being scammed

What do you guys think? Carmax? or private sale and see if I get any bites?

While working time is important. I'm off at the moment. I guess an additional thing my wife pointed out is I have to renew the registration soon in about a month. So another point for getting rid of it

Look in craigslist to see what they're going for. If it's $2k, you have zero chance of getting $2k more than $1200. If it's $5k, you have a chance. If the numbers seem to make sense, put it in and accept only cash money, 20 dollar bills. There's zero reason someone can't get a couple grand in cash. I've sold a boat for $8k cash and a trailer for $6k cash. If you can't stick to that, take the car max offer.

Put it in on the high side and drop it $200 every 4 days until you have actual interest. Actual interest is people seeing the car in person, not the clowns who ask "will you take $xxxx for it?". In the ad say *Include your phone number*. You don't have to call, it gives you an idea if they're in your local area or just surfing ads from Alaska or Hawaii trolling sellers.

Any response with the word "item" is a scam. Just delete it. Any response not mentioning in the body what you're selling, consider deleting.

How do I do the transaction? Is there a contract? Bill of sale form? Do I need to pay taxes?

I live in TN

No taxes for you to sell.

Check your title, depending on the state, you will need to sign it (sometimes notarized) and then complete a report of sale with the state. I found a generic Bill of Sale online and used that, think it was an MS Word Template from Microsoft.

When I did a sale for 12K cash in the past, we met at the bank. However, anything under $5K, I am usually fine meeting in public, somewhere with cameras (police stations work great) and exchanging title for cash.

Make sure to find out what info you need from the seller to report the sale. In AZ, I needed legal name and address. Took the plates off and they were on their way.

Cobbled together and edited from some of my older posts. I have done this a bunch. I'd take Cars.com or AutoTrader; CraigsList is a wasteland, imo.

Many on this forum can get more for their cars, but my objective has been to get a quick $2K more than trade-in value, and I was willing to commit one day of fielding calls and showing the car, and an hour or two of research on price and on placing an ad. I felt that was a high ROI, and would keep me from feeling like I had been taken advantage of by a dealer.

I get a quick online quote from KBB, which is anaIogous to a dealer's low-ball trade-in figure -- just to use as a benchmark. I pull all the mileage and asking price for all same-model/trim, same-vintage cars within (say) 500 mi using Cars.com and Autotrader and there's another that I'm blanking on. I make a quick graph, which is generally unrevealing (skewed by all those 200K and 300K mi BH cars!). It's always clear that the quote I got is reproducibly ~ $4K less than I can get with private-party sale. So I can either aim for that mark and spend months fielding the odd call and meeting people all over town. Or I can split the difference and sell it in one day with a local newspaper or online ad -- which is what I've done. I price mine to be the best deal available (for mileage), which is still way over KBB/trade-in.

Accept only cash. Getting the cash is the buyer's problem. I think the risk is very low until you're left with a handful of cash in your coat pocket or house. I've taken it right to the bank. Another time, I got a bank check at a local branch, with the buyer, so I knew it was genuine and it could be covered. But I'm only cash now. It's actually not that risky, imo; if someone wanted to steal your car, they'd just smash a window and take it, right? The buyer is the one who's nervous since they're showing up with a bucket of cash. I think it's riskier for a woman -- where there's vulnerability that has nothing to do with stealing one's car.

They give me the cash and I give them the keys. Or vice-versa. In other words, if you don't have a good, safe, and friendly vibe from the buyer, then don't make the deal. I've done this about six times now and the first one was stressful. But they've all been good, appreciative people who were eager to make the deal. They're all screened by phone first -- I don't want to waste my time with someone who's looking to lowball but I'd settle for 10% less than I've advertised -- and I generally build that in to asking price now. All mine have been $5K - $8K.

My state has no formal title transfer -- just sign it, take off the plates, and hand it over. Then I notify the state (on line) that it's gone. Then I call my insurance company. (Last time, my insurance went up since my worst car -- the one it assumes our youngest driver uses -- suddenly got a lot newer.) Make sure you have a Bill of Sale. Print and sign two copies. There is boilerplate text all over the web but basically it's signed by both of you with the date, VIN, mileage, and it says that you are selling the car in as-is condition. I've done this at my house (can be a no-no but has helped with every sale, and I'm male and not small and house is not overly showy but at least looks like someone who might be selling a decade-old car that still runs). I'd worry more about my safety if I were meeting in a neutral place, actually.

One thing to be aware of: there's a scam on AutoTrader and elsewhere (some bot must skim the email addresses) where you get instant emailed replies offering to pay by PayPal because buyer's in the military (blah, blah, blah) if you only agree to...etc. Once I weeded those few out, 80% of the rest were serious and pretty much at full asking -- on a car priced to sell.

I've done this at my house (can be a no-no but has helped with every sale, and I'm male and not small and house is not overly showy but at least looks like someone who might be selling a decade-old car that still runs). I'd worry more about my safety if I were meeting in a neutral place, actually.

Yeah, could always do it at your house. Your title has the address on there anyways - that the buyer will be receiving.

In the ad say *Include your phone number*. You don't have to call, it gives you an idea if they're in your local area or just surfing ads from Alaska or Hawaii trolling sellers.

In this day and age, a phone number means nothing. I sell a fair amount on CL and the majority of people don't have a local number anymore.

On that note, make sure to get a burner phone number through an Android or iOS app and use that for the ad.

I can see your point, but it's worked quite well for the literally thousands of things I've sold on Craigslist. You don't have to put your phone in the ad, you can let it send responses to an anonymous email address. It's what I always do to start.

In the ad say *Include your phone number*. You don't have to call, it gives you an idea if they're in your local area or just surfing ads from Alaska or Hawaii trolling sellers.

In this day and age, a phone number means nothing. I sell a fair amount on CL and the majority of people don't have a local number anymore.

On that note, make sure to get a burner phone number through an Android or iOS app and use that for the ad.

I can see your point, but it's worked quite well for the literally thousands of things I've sold on Craigslist. You don't have to put your phone in the ad, you can let it send responses to an anonymous email address. It's what I always do to start.

Perhaps it is area specific? I am in the Phoenix area. No one that lives in Phoenix came from Phoenix.

Just go to the county clerk website for your local county, it should have a section for what documents you need. Usually you sign the title and do a Bill of Sale. Take your tag off the car and turn it into the tag office. Buyer takes title and Bill of Sale to the tag office to get their tag, which registers it as their car. Take pictures of paperwork on your phone.

Compare to Craigslist for what you can actually get for it, of course a dealership can charge more than private sellers. Clean the car, take good pictures. Price a little over what you will really take, everyone will haggle with you.

I set up a gmail/Google voice phone number account for selling/ buying cars, you get a lot of spam.

I always sell private, cars are usually the 2nd largest purchase people make, that's a lot of money to leave on the table. Only exception is sometimes offering it as a last minute trade in on a new car purchase, then you have leverage and can sometimes get more.

First time I sold a car on my own I was _dreading_ it. Thought it'd be a huge pain, and thought about doing a trade-in to keep things simple.

At the time, the price difference was about 2k, and I kept thinking about all the cool stuff I could buy with that money (well, mostly stuff for my kids..), but that was enough for me to want to sell it on my own.

Sell it below market, but above trade-in. Make it clear of all/any issues, and that you will not negotiate. Cash only sale at their bank. You should get buyers lined up ready with cash.

If you have concerns about carrying cash, just open an account at the buyer's bank. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to do that for you.

Have the title ready and see if you need a damage disclosure or related form signed. Each state is different. If you have a loan, you will have to figure out the lien release. Make sure if loans are paid that the title reflects the lien being gone.

You will be surprised if you take the effort to clean the inside and outside of your car and simply remove all your junk, how much more sell-able a vehicle is. Vacuum, wipe off surfaces, clean the cracks of the seats, cup holders. Maybe common sense, but I have driven vehicles I didn't even want to get in. No sale on those.

"We are here not to please but to provoke thoughtfulness" Unknown Boglehead

1. Do a search on Craigslist and see what others are selling for.
2. Do detailing and renew the sticker
3. Sell it for whatever people are selling on craigslist. It will be gone in 2 weeks or less.

No joke. My dad owned a 1999 Honda Accord and I helped him sell it a few years ago. KBB was something ridiculous like 1800 even with the low mileage (~7k/year). Cars in the same condition were selling for 4k all day. I posted it for 5k, and got 3.8k in less than 24 hours.

I recently sold my Toyota and in less than 18 hours got my asking price (way over KBB), in cash and the buyer met met at my bank to finalize the transaction. Lots of buyers were leaning on KBB and a bunch asked me if I would sell it at KBB, as they knew it was way lower than what prevailing market prices were. I was below market by $500 so it sold fast. Just meet in a public place and you will be golden.

I met my buyer at a crowded movie theatre, and we traded title/cash inside the bank. Once the cash was deposited in my account I handed over the keys (in case they tried something silly with the cash..).

There are some flakes on CL. One guy emailed me with I have questions and please me a text. I respond only to be rebuffed with "sorry, I don't need the car." What is that about? Why are wasting my time emailing with questions? Odd right?

There are some flakes on CL. One guy emailed me with I have questions and please me a text. I respond only to be rebuffed with "sorry, I don't need the car." What is that about? Why are wasting my time emailing with questions? Odd right?

Will keep updating

Get used to it.. plenty of people will text and ask if it is available. Then, once you respond, crickets. I had a pretty specialized interest car for sale for about 2 months, I saw everything that CL spammers could throw at me

I bought my 2005 Toyota Matrix for $6K. Advertised it 5 years later for $4200 with 175K miles. Guy drove 150 miles and said dont sell it. Once he arrived, he told me he was a firefighter and it was for his college going daughter. I immediately reduced it to $3600, even though he was ready to pay $4200 for it. Just felt right. Even offered him 100% return in 1 week if he was not happy with the car.

There are some flakes on CL. One guy emailed me with I have questions and please me a text. I respond only to be rebuffed with "sorry, I don't need the car." What is that about? Why are wasting my time emailing with questions? Odd right?

Will keep updating

Get used to it.. plenty of people will text and ask if it is available. Then, once you respond, crickets. I had a pretty specialized interest car for sale for about 2 months, I saw everything that CL spammers could throw at me

Craigslist is about 80% flakes. Nothing is odd on CL.

But why??? What's the purpose of this? Why would they do it? It doesn't make sense!

There are some flakes on CL. One guy emailed me with I have questions and please me a text. I respond only to be rebuffed with "sorry, I don't need the car." What is that about? Why are wasting my time emailing with questions? Odd right?

Will keep updating

Get used to it.. plenty of people will text and ask if it is available. Then, once you respond, crickets. I had a pretty specialized interest car for sale for about 2 months, I saw everything that CL spammers could throw at me

Craigslist is about 80% flakes. Nothing is odd on CL.

But why??? What's the purpose of this? Why would they do it? It doesn't make sense!

Update: guy offered 3k for the car. There has been a reasonable amount of interest in the car. I'm wondering if I should push him to 3250. But I'm also not super excited about squeezing every last dollar out of the sale either. It certainly had flaws (which I told him about)....thoughts?

There are some flakes on CL. One guy emailed me with I have questions and please me a text. I respond only to be rebuffed with "sorry, I don't need the car." What is that about? Why are wasting my time emailing with questions? Odd right?

Will keep updating

Get used to it.. plenty of people will text and ask if it is available. Then, once you respond, crickets. I had a pretty specialized interest car for sale for about 2 months, I saw everything that CL spammers could throw at me

Craigslist is about 80% flakes. Nothing is odd on CL.

But why??? What's the purpose of this? Why would they do it? It doesn't make sense!

Update: guy offered 3k for the car. There has been a reasonable amount of interest in the car. I'm wondering if I should push him to 3250. But I'm also not super excited about squeezing every last dollar out of the sale either. It certainly had flaws (which I told him about)....thoughts?

Tell him you want $3.25K. If he starts walking away, tell him ok, you will take $3k.

Maybe he comes up to $3.1k or so. If that is the case, you just made the easiest $100 in your life

Of course, you should be able to judge his interest. I let someone walk last month over $300. They texted me back the next day and pulled the trigger though.

Its interesting study of my own character. On the one hand I don't want to be greedy. But I also don't want to be a sucker.

My wife says I'm falling into the greedy side. I can afford to be done with the situation. No more test drives. Talking with strangers. No more trying to explain how come I am missing a hubcap. 500 bucks isn't gonna make or break us.

Its interesting study of my own character. On the one hand I don't want to be greedy. But I also don't want to be a sucker.

My wife says I'm falling into the greedy side. I can afford to be done with the situation. No more test drives. Talking with strangers. No more trying to explain how come I am missing a hubcap. 500 bucks isn't gonna make or break us.

$500 can go in your pocket or his... I would rather have it in mine.

But, your call and money at the end of the day!

I wouldn't pay an unnecessary $500 investment fee... nor would many Bheads

When you settle on a price, go to the buyer's bank to finish the transaction. Have them issue you a bank/cashier's check. Stand next to the buyer when they're at the teller window. That way you know for sure the check is good. Don't accept a "cashier's check" if you're not with them at their bank when they get it.

I don't like walking around with wads of cash, so the above method is my preference. Done it several times before as both buyer and seller and there were never issues.

When you settle on a price, go to the buyer's bank to finish the transaction. Have them issue you a bank/cashier's check. Stand next to the buyer when they're at the teller window. That way you know for sure the check is good. Don't accept a "cashier's check" if you're not with them at their bank when they get it.

I don't like walking around with wads of cash, so the above method is my preference. Done it several times before as both buyer and seller and there were never issues.

If it were me, I'd just take the cash. Make everyone's lives easier and continue living your own. The car is depreciating every second and if someone hits the car and runs, the value drops (assuming you just have liability now).

On Craigslist everyone will make you offers below asking. You just have to have a drop dead bottom dollar you'd accept ready in your head, and keep negotiating until you get it.

Regarding the flakers, some people have nothing better to do but text random numbers thinking they are wheeling and dealing. Hooking people in, making people waste time etc.. Yes, it sounds crazy/sad, but people do it.

When you settle on a price, go to the buyer's bank to finish the transaction. Have them issue you a bank/cashier's check. Stand next to the buyer when they're at the teller window. That way you know for sure the check is good. Don't accept a "cashier's check" if you're not with them at their bank when they get it.

That's kind of a hassle. What I've done twice now is just ring the bank branch when the buyer shows up with the bank check. The bank will confirm the check is real over the phone.

The responses of "Is it still available?" or other nebulous questions are phishers. They send you the question through the craigslist anonymous email service but when you respond back through it, they get your actual email address. Prepare for another boatload of incoming spam.

This is why all my ads say **Yes, I still have it and will take down the ad when it sells** and *Include a telephone number*

Yes, I know a spoofed telephone number can be included or something made up. But with the literally thousands of things I've sold on craigslist, I find that if I forget these 2 lines, I get 10 times as many garbage responses.

As for your selling price, now that you have someone on the hook.....if you have another potential interested person, you can always say "well, I have one person coming over tomorrow....if he won't pay my asking price, then I guess I'll give it to you for your offer". This will likely get you more money right now. But you have to stick with RIGHT NOW.....not "well, will you hold the car, I get paid next month?" kind of things. No money, not holding anything. You can certainly take a non-refundable deposit of $100 to hold it for a week.

When you settle on a price, go to the buyer's bank to finish the transaction. Have them issue you a bank/cashier's check. Stand next to the buyer when they're at the teller window. That way you know for sure the check is good. Don't accept a "cashier's check" if you're not with them at their bank when they get it.

That's kind of a hassle. What I've done twice now is just ring the bank branch when the buyer shows up with the bank check. The bank will confirm the check is real over the phone.

The responses of "Is it still available?" or other nebulous questions are phishers. They send you the question through the craigslist anonymous email service but when you respond back through it, they get your actual email address. Prepare for another boatload of incoming spam.

This is why all my ads say **Yes, I still have it and will take down the ad when it sells** and *Include a telephone number*

Unfortunately, I have found this does not work. Glad it does for you!

There are a fair amount of non-native English speakers in my area, might be part of the reason.

Overall my craigslist experience was pretty excellent. People were mostly reasonable. The guy who bought my car didn't even try to bargain. I almost felt kind of bad.

Followed the basics. Met at public place. Got a feel for buyer. Went for a test drive together each time except for once. The one time, the guy was a weirdo!

Woah, you went with him on the test drive? I have zero interest in riding along on test drives. When I sold a car last month, handed them the keys and said "have fun". I sat in the parking lot next to their car waiting, haha.